Joe Budden Fights for Freedom With New #BlackLivesMatter-Inspired Track

eOne Entertainment GroupRapper Joe Budden has been inspired by the #BlackLivesMatter movement to record new music. Placing his vocals over the beat to Beyonce and Kendrick Lamar‘s “Freedom,” Budden weds sharp freestyle vocals to unsettling visuals for the song’s accompanying video.

Explaining the reasoning behind the track, Budden writes in the comments section, “I was told that there was once a world where slaves communicated with each other via music, and tho I wasn’t present for that, the HipHop I fell in love with always encouraged me to do the same (Thank You Public Enemy).”

He adds, “…Let this act as an unfortunate reminder that times change and they don’t.” He finished with the hashtags #BlackLivesMatter, #YallLivesMatter and #OurLivesMatter.”

The video begins with a clip from Diamond Reynolds‘ recent Facebook Live video, which she filmed as her late boyfriend, Philando Castile, was shot by police. Vignettes of historical moments and images in American history, such as Martin Luther King Jr. peacefully marching and the arrest of the late Eric Garner, are also portrayed.

You can check out Joe Budden’s “Freedom” freestyle track, along with its video, on YouTube.